


In Any Universe

by Oregano_Cactus



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Elementals AU, F/F, Rin/Hanayo background kinda?, Secret Santa, Witch AU, honoka gets hurt at some point (but its not that bad), honoka is very very gay, it's gay! very gay, rins a catgirl but not in a weird way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-26 23:05:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17150759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oregano_Cactus/pseuds/Oregano_Cactus
Summary: Nozomi and Honoka love each other, in any universe. They meet again, again, and again and each time they fall in love anew. Various AU versions of how these two idols fall in love and stay in love.





	1. School Idols

**Author's Note:**

> This secret santa gift was for KyouSenbo on twitter! a huge thank you to the mods who organized this LL secret santa for 2018, and kyou, i hope you like your gift !! ^ ^

Nozomi looks up, sees the shining face of their leader, sees the crowd going wild, and can’t help but think that it must have been fate. Fate that intertwined them, fate that brought a rush of autumn wind and spring hope and all the seasons in between into her life, and fate that brought them together in such a way. They’re changing later, out of glittery uniforms and dramatic makeup, when Honoka walks over with a hand still entangled in her hair and asks her playfully: Wanna read my fortune, Miss Witch?

It’s a question that Honoka’s asked many times, and Nozomi has consented each and every time; for who could resist That Sparkle whenever she said yes? Nozomi pulls out her cards from her bag, spreads them out, and laughs when she tells Honoka that they’re going to be together forever. “Forever? Really?” Yes, she replies. In this universe, and every other. “Our love must run pretty deep, huh?” Absolutely, without a doubt, of course, and every other word she can think of. It has to be, since there’s no other explanation for the rush she feels when they pour their energy and power into a song and receive the same energy amplified a thousand times from their shining center, their leader, and friend (maybe something more?) Honoka.


	2. Elementals

Honoka is the sun, the shining sun, and Nozomi is the still waters below. They touch, briefly, as Honoka dips below the waves—and there she keeps, waiting, until the next morning. Nozomi seems busy, she thinks. After all, she is the water. Water is very important, more so than her. Still, it hurts a little when Honoka waves a cheerful goodnight to her and all she gets in return is a gentle sigh and a pat on the hand. She wants  _ more _ , she wants Nozomi to respond with the same burning brightness that Honoka feels ache in her whenever Nozomi smiles that gentle smile, but the waters remain calm, and her crush’s heart just as so. Smile back at me, she yells. Fight for me, she cries. And when all she gets in return is a quiet laugh and a kiss on the forehead as she falls below nightly, she cries again for a different reason. Her light dims, and she goes, distraught, to her steadfast companion: the moon. 

Kotori and Umi, intertwined, one the night sky and the other the silvery light that rests on it. They’re her best friends, and for a good reason—they deal with her on a regular basis with minimal complaint. Help me, she says, and they laugh. “Just tell her how you feel! She’s kind, she’ll listen!” That’s the problem, she’s kind. Too kind, she’s always just  _ nice _ to her when Honoka wants more. “Listen,” they say. “We’ll help you out.” How? She’s thought of everything, she thinks. What more? “Oh c’mon, just GO!” They share a laugh, link their hands (always, always linked, she thinks) and push her towards Nozomi, just barely starting to wake up, eyes still heavy and arms still folded across her chest. 

Honoka stumbles, crashes straight into her and knocks her off balance. Nozomi! She shouts, shocked. “Hm? Oh, is it that time already? Good morning.” There it is again, she thinks, that gentle neither-here-nor-there remark that leaves her on unsteady footing. Good morning! Her eyes glitter, so so sososo pretty. She’s pretty. Honoka stammers, chokes out more—you look lovely today! She can practically HEAR the laughter from behind her, and her ears go red. Takes a deep breath, screams so loud she’s sure everyone can hear it: Do you like me? Daisuki da ka? Nozomi covers her mouth, and says, “Of course I like you!” That’s not what she means, she stammers. You always say you like me, you say you like me but what does it mean? I like you. I like you, I like you, Honoka chants. I like you because you’re so kind. I like how you talk, how you smile, how you always listen to me, but how am I supposed to tell? How can I tell if you like me back if all you do is just smile? Tell me you like me, tell me you think I look cute, treat me like I’m something to lose, she cries. I just want to know if you like me. 

She’s heaving, crying, and Nozomi wraps around her from the back. “Yes, I like you. I like you. I love your shining brilliance, I love your hair, I love you. I love you, I love you each time I see you, everytime we touch I try to linger longer and longer. I love you.” Stupid Honoka, she says. She’s overthinking it, she’s sorry Nozomi. “No, it’s ok, don’t worry. I don’t burn as bright as you, I don’t shine as high, I’m sorry I haven’t shown my love the way I feel.” It’s no fault of hers, it’s no fault of theirs, they just need to love and love and love and it’ll all be ok. Honoka hears a faraway call, Umi yelling, “See! We’re right! Just talk it out!” and Kotori’s chiming laughter not far behind. They need to talk more, she knows. They’ll talk it out, but it’s ok for now. They’re happy together, she’s happy in Nozomi’s arms, and they’ll be happy together. Forever, hopefully.


	3. Witches

Hanayo is a shy little witch, specializes in agriculture and crops and the sort. She just keeps a cozy little hut, has some lavender and fennel and other herbs hanging around the rafters, and charms the scarecrows to keep away locusts and other naughty bugs. She has a sweet little familiar, Rin; a high-spirited girl her age cursed to be a cat years ago. Her mother removed the majority of the damage years ago, and Hanayo’s undoing the spell, bit by bit, but until then Rin’s cursed with some fluffy orange ears and a tail that swishes when she lies. It’s nice. Her place is nice. It’s nice to wake up next to Rin all tucked into her, the covers warm under the crushing weight of the cold air outside, and knowing that she’ll have work that day. She knows she’s a rather powerful witch, but she’s happy where she is—among the corn and the earth. Her life is perfect, she thinks. And it is, it’s perfect, but sometimes she (and she knows Rin thinks it too) gets a little bored. That’s why, when she hears of a pair of traveling witches that defeat evil creatures, her breath quickens and Rin’s hair stands on end. Hanayo flicks on the old TV left over from her old place, and tunes it to the channel “Which Witch?” It’s cliche, but it’s a great place to find some witch-y content that isn’t terribly over sensationalized. She sees them then, the famous duo: Nozomi Tojo and Honoka Kousaka, witches extraordinaire, fighting off a rogue animated origami dragon. It’s shocking how different their magic is, it’s all fire and sparks and silk strings weaving in and out. “Kayo-chin, look! Looklooklook!” Rin points towards the TV, and she sees Honoka firing off a “blind” spell—but it’s unbelievably bright, way brighter than any witch she’s ever seen do it. How do they do it, she muses aloud. “It’s not that hard, just look closely! See, the purple girl is doing something to make it stronger!” She giggles, musses Rin’s hair, and says that she doesn’t have Rin’s eagle eyes, she can’t see as well—and then she stops dead in the middle of her sentence and sees it. 

Nozomi winks at the cameras, as if it’s a show, and pulls out what appears to be a…tarot card? It’s hard to tell, but she tosses it towards Honoka, who dives under the outstretched dragon’s tail and catches it. Rin, look! Hanayo says. “I’m looking, I’m looking!” Honoka takes the card in her hands, spins it in some fancy card trick she’s sure Rin will attempt for hours, and starts to  _ glow _ . Her body glows a little, and the wand she’s using starts to spark with bits of light. “Is she… _ glowing? _ Kayo-chin, what happened? Did Nozomi give her her magic or something? Hey, can we do that? Make me glow!” Shush, Rin, she says. 

Honoka’s like a mini sun, darting around the cobblestone like it’s nothing and firing off incredibly energy-consuming spells to keep the dragon in one place. All the while, Nozomi keeps tossing her those cards and occasionally casting a “protect” spell on the surroundings. 

The cards must be the power-up, Hanayo thinks. So, Honoka’s the damage dealer and Nozomi’s the support. She can’t get a gauge on Nozomi’s power like she can with Honoka; it’s very obvious that Honoka is a powerful witch from all the spells she’s casting. Nozomi’s a little more difficult; she hasn’t really shown any of her powers and so far seems to be sticking to simple power-ups for her more battle oriented partner to use and the occasional easy protect spell. Anyone watching would draw to the conclusion that Honoka’s the more powerful one, but Hanayo doesn’t want to pass judgement quite so quick…and that’s when, on the fuzzy screen, Honoka gathers herself, gears up, and shouts “SLEEP!” And just like that, the dragon starts to nod off, a light goes off like fireworks, and Honoka collapses on the ground. 

It must have taken a lot of magic energy, right Rin? Like when I tried to kill all those weeds the other day and slept for a full day, Hanayo says. She’s about to shut off the TV when she hears a roar, and quickly glances up: some novice witch has hit the dragon with a blasting spell. It’s obvious that the other witch is an amateur; she’s got her wand grasped so firmly that her knuckles are white and she doesn’t have the same air of confidence that the other two had. The slumbering dragon awakens with a  _ roar _ and swings around, barbed tail hitting the still slumped Honoka.  _ NO! _ Rin shouts in tandem with Nozomi on-screen, and they see Nozomi snap up from where she’s patching some torn-up road. She reaches into her pocket, pulls out something that she thinks is a deck of cards (how many does she have?) and her hands smack the deck, grab all the cards, and magic sparks at her fingertips. 

They’re both transfixed, staring at the screen like it contains their life: it’s the most excitement they’ve gotten in weeks. Nozomi brushes her sparking fingertips over the deck, and the cards  _ fly _ through the air towards the still-downed Honoka. They’re glowing, Nozomi’s cards, and they’re forming a strange circle around Honoka that seems to be drawing itself. “Holy shit.” It’s amazing, the cards are fluttering like they’re alive and Honoka’s cuts and bruises are starting to heal up with seemingly no effort. The dragon, frustrated, goes for the easiest target of Honoka again, and the cards effortlessly keep the dragon out—they seem to almost be razor-sharp, and are whirring so fast that she’s pretty sure the dragon’s going to get shredded if it’s not careful. It backs off, and sees Nozomi standing in the middle of the road with no visible wand in her hand—another easy target, it presumes. Hanayo shakes her head. It seems she’s underestimated the witch, Nozomi clearly has some  _ insane _ power if she can make a circle like that and have it be self-sustaining. “She’s powerful, yeah, but what’s she going to do now? Her cards are gone, she doesn’t have a wand, right? Oh, I hope there’s a happy ending here…” Hanayo wonders herself; what can a witch do without a channel? Honoka’s got her wand, Hanayo’s got a little wand herself and Rin, and Nozomi had her cards, but without the conduit there’s nowhere for all that magical energy to go. 

On-screen, Nozomi looks like she’s ready to murder anyone that touches Honoka—and that’s when there’s a cracking sound, a nearby pipe bursts, and water gushes out onto the ground. It’s. It’s a lot of water, Hanayo says, wouldn’t that make it harder for Nozomi? She can’t even  _ fathom _ that it’d be to Nozomi’s favor, and she knows that  _ she _ wouldn’t like that—she’d just slip and fall, and Rin would complain and stay far, far away. She’s pondering, pondering, and then—something happens that she never thought even existed. 

Nozomi’s hands are describing circles in the air, and—and the water is moving, it’s whirling around like a tornado, and it’s one of the prettiest things Hanayo’s ever seen. Rin’s finally gone silent next to her, both in quiet shock. Nozomi holds it there, a single, shimmering instant, before her hands arc upwards and the water batters the dragon, over and over and over again. Watching it, she almost feels pity for the creature; Nozomi’s not letting up. She’s got fury in her eyes and powerful,  _ powerful _ magic in her hands, and she’s got a lot to do with it. 

Rin whispers in awe, “An elemental…” and Hanayo wholeheartedly agrees. Elemental witches are incredibly few and far between; channeling magic through an already existing magic source is difficult to say the least, and there hasn’t been one for a couple dozen years—and here one turns up, a cute witch with purple hair that belies the immense power she must have. “As cool as this is, isn’t this a bit much?” As it turns out, yeah, it seems Nozomi’s going a little overboard. The dragon is almost sinking to the ground it’s getting so soggy, and every burst that Nozomi throws at it creates massive holes in its body and wings. In a sudden visceral instant, Hanayo’s glad these two are on the good side—the pain they could deal would probably be unfathomable. 

Nozomi’s panting now; clearly using that much power is taking a toll on her, even with her immense power. She steps aside to take a break, and when the dragon sends a lamppost crashing with what little power it has, looks…shocked? Her glance darts to the side, searching, and Hanayo realizes: she expected Honoka to jump in and take her spot. She shakes her head as if to clear her mind, and winds up for another push— when a sparkling hand comes into frame and grabs Nozomi’s arm. 

“FAITO DAYO!” The crackly sound through the TV is good enough to convey that utter sincerity that shines through in those words. It’s getting dark outside, but Rin and Hanayo are still fixed to the screen—the camera pans over, and Honoka is standing there in the water. She looks like a deity; the cards are still in a circle around her and her magic is back to sparking and her head is held high. The point where the two witches are touching is sparking too, and Honoka smiles the most fond smile Hanayo’s ever seen in her life, pushes the sparks traveling up her body through that point, and stands there while Nozomi straightens up, lifts her arm (bringing what must be a metric ton of water with her) and  _ slams _ it down, decimating what little was left of the monster. They stand there for a victorious moment, panting, and once they gather themselves, they turn back to the once long-forgotten camera. 

“Thank you everyone! No need to worry about us, we’ll be just fine. We’ll be working on cleanup for a bit here, so if any of you want to chat just stop by! No promises on our coherence, though,” Honoka laughs. They’re pressed up against each other, with a hand around Honoka’s waist and the other hand sheepishly waving the water back into the burst copper. 

Rin and Hanayo both relax and let out a sigh, slumping back into their stool and chair respectively. “Kayo-chin, whaddya say we just skip out for today? A few bugs shouldn’t really matter, right?” Normally she’d be urging Rin out of bed, but she’s…strangely tired too. Maybe she’ll take a quick nap, she thinks, and check later if she and Rin can make it to talk to Nozomi and Honoka. It’s a long walk, but they could use the exercise. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little long compared to the others haha


	4. Polaroid

They’re standing together, fingers in a V shape, smiling so wide their cheeks hurt. Nozomi’s arm is wrapped tightly, almost possessively around Honoka and Honoka is giving little bunny ears to Nozomi. They’re so happy together; Nozomi looks the happiest she’s ever been and Honoka’s entire body is vibrating like she’s a washer on high. Polaroids are strung up on their walls, half of them with Nozomi sneaking up behind Honoka and the other half with Honoka moving so fast that she’s just a vaguely orange blur of Girl. Love, love, love is all that they are and love is all they’ll need until the end of time. They say they love each other, they mean it, and it’s just two girls falling in love, two idols singing together, two elements intertwining, two witches flowing together so you can’t tell where one ends and one begins, it’s just two girls falling in love but to them it’s bliss and revolutionary and they’re happy forever. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you !! to kyou, i hope you enjoy your gift even with the no doubt numerous mistakes ^ ^ happy holidays!


End file.
